Ad Network Brand.net Sells to Mail Marketer Valassis

VCs funded hundreds of ad networks in the last decade, and that’s probably a couple hundred too many. Now there’s one less: Five-year-old Brand.net is being acquired by Valassis Communications, a 41-year-old company that specializes in direct mail.

A source familiar with the deal pegs the purchase price at less than $50 million; Brand.net raised a reported $27 million, primarily from Interwest and Norwest Venture. I’ve asked both companies for comment.

Valassis has a very low profile in digital ads, but it’s a big deal in the old-media business of bundling ads and coupons into mailers and newspaper inserts. Last year it posted profits of $113 million on $2.2 billion in revenue.

Livonia, Mich., June 21, 2012: Valassis (NYSE: VCI), one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, today announced it has enhanced its digital display network – the Valassis Audience Network – with the acquisition of Brand.net, an online display, video and mobile advertising platform. Combined with the Valassis Audience Network, the components of an expansive network of online and offline data, state-of-the-art ad serving and targeting technology, come together – Valassis is Re-Imagining Reach™.

With Brand.net, the Valassis Audience Network now enables advertisers to reach and influence consumers on their journey from awareness to action with greater relevance, impact and results. Re-Imagining Reach highlights Valassis’ strength of reaching today’s diverse consumers at a scale and accuracy unmatched by others, getting the right message to the right consumer in the right medium at the right time.

“The traditional path to purchase was linear and brought the consumer from awareness to action one step at a time,” said Rob Mason, Valassis President and Chief Executive Officer. “Today, consumers are in control and their media habits are changing at a remarkable rate which means that clients need to use a mix of media to stay both visible and relevant. That’s where Valassis has a proprietary advantage – we deliver targeted, print and digital solutions to engage consumers at every point along the path to purchase.”

Whether marketers are interested in building awareness or driving purchase behavior, Valassis can meet their objectives by integrating their offline and online promotions. Valassis, with the addition of Brand.net, offers advertisers the ability to uniquely combine targeting, insights and data to:

Reach their most relevant audiences at scale with the highest quality media;
Leverage SafeScreen™ technology ensuring their content will only be seen on sites that meet their criteria;
Stand out across high-impact environments such as display, video, mobile, and tablets; and
Achieve more consistent campaign results to drive ROI.

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